Successful family historians produce more than hierarchies of names and dates, however far back into antiquity they reach. They capture unique insights into real people and the environment in which they lived.

Chapters 2 and 6 focused mainly on vital (B, D and M) public records. In addition to these, the PRO and local record offices contain a vast range of other public records that make family history the absorbing passion it is for so many. Chapter 3 was concerned with online internet resources, and this also showed the scope and variety of public records and where they are located. But your research will usually bring you physically back to the main record offices, and especially the PRO and the FRC in London and the record office in the county in which your tree originates. It is when you get close to original documents and the wealth of records beyond key life events, that you will start to get to know your ancestors as real people.

In this chapter we will look further at a few main categories that provide these ‘true stories’ and help you with non-standard searches.Your best preparation is by visiting each record office or library website and learning whatever you can from the printable leaflets, help guides and articles freely available. From the main examples in this chapter you will get a flavour for what you will find, but inevitably in less detail, plus a few tips and information to boost your confidence as you extend your research.

The space I have given does not reflect the relative volume or importance of a category of record. I have simply chosen interesting or representative bits of information, focusing rather on how you can get information and utilise all the resources under your own steam (and learn much faster in the process). Once you acquire the basic knowledge and ‘how to’ skills – by having a go – you need never get stuck, even on the less common kinds of research.If you have no specific leads to follow, as you read this chapter you may fancy pursuing one or more specialised areas that had not occurred to you. You can download PRO leaflets covering most FH topics and recorded types. These are listed in Appendix 1 and I have referred to some of them below, adding some historical background to the records. You will then have enough information to explore deeper into a particular public record source.

You can generally search the records either by a person’s name or their place of birth, so the many additional records you can access will depend partly on what information you already have. From the work you have done on vital records you will probably have a name, date of birth or baptism and parish, so that gives you access to records of many types.

Given firm ‘place’ information, knowledge of the local industry, topography, traditions, crafts, economy, domestic conditions and general way of life will provide a backdrop to anyone who was born and raised there. This is often covered by published material, as well as manorial and other archives.

To help you get started, in the first part of the chapter I have given a pot pourri of examples of records indexed or listed by name and those indexed by place. This might suggest what you can investigate next, to make the best use of indices and the information you already have. Further information about the main categories of records themselves then forms the rest of the chapter.

Name Searches

Wills are a fruitful source of information when starting with a name, as they contain lots of family detail that offers new lines of enquiry and clues. The PRO has wills dating back to 1383. These are wills handled by the church court known as the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. These mainly comprise wealthy men, unmarried women and widows dying in the south of England and abroad. Inquisitions post mortem are another source of information, again for people of some social standing.

Documents issued from or inspected by the Royal Chancery have mostly been published until the late 1500s. These relate primarily to those whose status involved direct dealings with central government, but they contain references to many other people as well. Registers of the King’s (Privy) Council have also been published and indexed, so you can do a quick name search even if you think your chances of a hit are low. Although some mediaeval record types continue to the present, because only the earliest have been published this is an instance where the further back you research the easier it gets.

Large numbers of letters and papers survive relating to the government of the day, dating from the beginning of the 16th century and referred to as the State Papers, Domestic. These are well indexed, so it is worth a name check on a visit to the PRO. Don’t forget to record what you have checked so that you can eliminate that source from future research. Similar papers exist for Scotland, Ireland and colonial and foreign affairs. Covering the economic life of the nation are various series of Calendars of Treasury Books and Papers, 1557–1704, also well indexed. Remember that lots of individual indices means lots of searches, so allow yourself plenty of time.